Leading safety bodies are set to meet ministers for
talks on the UK’s building and fire regulations in the aftermath
of the Grenfell Tower disaster, the House of Lords heard
today.
The Institution of Occupational Safety and Health
(IOSH), British Safety Council (BSC) and Royal Society for the
Prevention of Accidents (RoSPA) are among organisations calling
on the Government for ‘a change in mind-set’ on safety
regulations following the tragedy in which at least 80 people
lost their lives.
In an open
letter to , they are among more than 1,000
signatories urging the Government to scrap its approach to health
and safety deregulation and think again.
“We believe it is vital that this disaster marks a
turning point for improved fire safety awareness and wider
appreciation that good health and safety is an investment, not a
cost,” the letter states.
The letter prompted a two-hour debate on 13 July 2017
in the Lords, led by , culminating in an
agreement by , of the Department for
Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, that a meeting should
take place between the safety industry and Government
representatives.
“I think the crux of this debate is whether the
pendulum has swung too far with deregulation, and that is a
matter of judgement,” he said. “The awful tragedy of Grenfell
Tower will make us rethink these issues and I hope it will change
the culture that surrounds the way we look at
regulation.”
IOSH, BSC and RoSPA have been working with ahead of the debate
on the impact of deregulation on public services and health and
safety.
Speaking after the debate, the former chair of
English Heritage said: “I am encouraged that the minister agreed
that the culture should change and that the meeting should take
place with the safety bodies behind the letter to .”
